British Columbia 2019 with Roy Atkins and Julian Sykes

We set out into Johnstone Straight with high hopes that we might see Orca. The captain seemed pretty confident, but fog was making us slightly nervous. Fifteen minutes later, there they were!! Not just one or two but lots of them, as two families had come together to socialise and were all jumbled together. The huge dorsal fins of the males towered over the rest and they even came under the boat – but even more wonderful we lowered a hydrophone into the water and could hear them making their strange and eerie noises as we watched!

Humpback Whales dipping their tails (Julian Sykes)

Steller Sea-lion (Julian Sykes)

After spending our time
with them, we moved on to enjoy Humpback Whales feeding and diving nearby,
Steller Sea Lions, a big group of Pacific White-sided Dolphins, Dall’s
Porpoises and some great birds. Later, back on shore, we watched a big Black
Bear turning over rocks… an incredible day.

Sea Otter (Julian Sykes)

Grizzly Bear (Julian Sykes)

On other days we saw
delightful Sea Otters and went across to the mainland through stunning scenery
to see Grizzly Bears fishing in the river – incredibly close and all from the
safety of viewing platforms. We enjoyed astonishing views of two Humpback
Whales competing to see who could make the biggest splash with their tails and
went out into beautiful Clayoquot Sound where we found at least five Gray
Whales.

Big seas at Clayoquot Sound (Julian Sykes)

Bald Eagle (Julian Sykes)

Add to all this a wealth of
exciting birds such as Bald Eagles, Great Horned Owl, Black Oystercatcher,
Harlequin Duck, Pacific Loon, Surfbird and lots more and once again this was a
truly wonderful trip.

Black Oystercatcher (Julian Sykes)

If
you would like to join Roy and Julian next year in British Columbia you can
book online. Please email or phone 01479 812498 with any queries.